Art, music are part of Passaic River celebration

ELMWOOD PARK — Rick Rodriguez, the self-proclaimed River Man, once vowed to bring art and music to the Passaic River, and today he is fulfilling that promise.

Landscapes of the Great Falls painted by Ian Grinyer, art teacher at the Ivanhoe gallery, and photographs of river scenes shot by Saddle Brook High School students will be on display at the Elmwood Park Marina starting at noon. Performances by local musicians and singers also will be part of the day.

"We’re going to take the next step in recreating the ‘splendiferous’ Passaic River as a recreation destination," Rodriguez said on Friday.

The event is free, but Rodriguez, a real estate agent and former dance instructor, is asking for donations to offset costs of the event.

In September, Rodriguez led a crew of reporters on a kayak trip to an island in the river near Garfield. It was on that trip that he outlined his vision for making the Passaic a destination.

He said he wants races in and along the river, and he wants to teach dance classes on riverbanks. He also thinks a farmers’ market would be a good draw on the river’s edge. He has hosted local leaders, such as former Paterson Mayor Jeffery Jones, who joined a kayak tour of the river last year as a means of persuading cities and towns that the river might be used as a destination for fun.

Last year, Rodriguez talked about building a picnic area on the island, and he has spent hours clearing trash from the landing.

He has named the island — an eighth of a mile long and 130 feet wide, which sits just north of Route 46 — Rick’s Island, after himself. And he calls the small landing on the island Rick’s Marina.

Lowe’s, the home improvement chain, donated some of the materials to build a sanctuary on the island, and he named it Camp Lowe’s.

"My hope is to create an artistic, vibrant, river community, which includes Paterson, Hawthorne, Fair Lawn, Elmwood Park and Garfield, from the Great Falls to the Dundee Dam," Rodriguez said.

At 2 p.m. today, he will lead a parade of kayaks from the marina to the island, where the revelers can continue the celebration.

The Passaic is making a comeback in many other ways. The Great Falls in Paterson is a national historical park in development. Garfield has opened a mile-long river walk with spectacular views of the Dundee Dam, stretching along a portion of River Drive once occupied by car dealerships and auto body shops.

An encore of the art, music and boat parade is scheduled at noon next Saturday.